ROAD RECORDS ASSOCIATION Winter NEWSLETTER 2012 AGM 2013 TIMEKEEPERS, OBSERVERS, and The AGM will be held on Friday the 22nd of COURSE MEASURERS The current lists of Timekeepers, Observers and Course February at The 52 Club, Gower Street, Measurers is getting rather short. London, WC1E 6EB. The Committee would like to invite Members to apply for All propositions to change Rules must be any of these positions. Perhaps some of you know of someone, not in the RRA, sent to the General Secretary no later than but very able to do either job. We are particularly inter- 31st December 2012. ested in trying to find some new people to fill these places. ILLNESS Please note that the job of Observer can often entail President Den Mills suffered a mild heart attack and following and reporting on a record attempt at all other complications in September, resulting in several times, as well as just the start and finish. It is not the same as a Checker, who would normally be at the days in hospital. He was sent home and told to rest and road-side. take it easy. No easy task. Any current Timekeepers and Observers who would pre- Committee members Audrey Hughes and Bob fer not to be on any of the above lists would you please Williams have both been unwell recently. notify the General Secretary before March 31st 2013. Early in November, Den suffered another heart attack, this time it seems he was already in hospital at the time NEWSLETTER & AGM by E-MAIL and there were no other complications . The RRA is keen to communicate with its membership by I am sure everyone joins me in wishing all three a e-mail. Many thanks to all those who have already signed speedy return to good health. up to receive the newsletter electronically. You are all helping to make my job easier as General Secretary. OBITUARIES If you would be prepared to receive communications in Please see reverse and separate sheet . this way. which could also include items relating to the AGM, plus the added bonus of receiving record attempt RECORD BREAKING updates as they take place, you are encouraged to con- The End–End attempt, 2088, by Dominic Irvine & Ian tact the secretary at the e-mail address below. Rodd failed. They were 90 minutes down at Shap Sum- E-mail allows a quicker and more efficient service, but is mit, with the weather turning against them. They did, quite optional, and the paper alternative is still available. however, continue to finish for the hospital charity, all be it some 8 hours down on their schedule. IF YOU WISH TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST WILL YOU PLEASE E-MAIL THE GENERAL SECRETARY AT:- [email protected] The End–End attempt by Emma Williams and Natalie Creswick has been postponed until July 2013 due to RRA website. injury. This has been updated with latest information and some There is also a possible S2S next year. pictures from the Triennial Luncheon. 2013 looks like being a busy year. Some Obituaries have also been added. PRESIDENT OUTSTANDING SUBS Den Mills tel: 01494 763159 Will all members who have not yet paid their subs for 12 Latimer Close, Little Chalfont, Amersham, HP6 6QS 2012 or any previous years please send them to Tim or the General Secretary as soon as possible. CHAIRMAN Mike Johnson tel: 01270 780093 ALL MEMBERS AND CLUBS 5 The Green, Wrenbury If you move, have a new phone number, change of club Nantwich, CW5 8EY secretary or Treasurer, or new e-mail address, please remember to notify the General Sec retary. GENERAL AND RECORD SECRETARY Brian Edrupt. tel: 01992 762121 NEW POSTAGE COSTS e-mail [email protected] The new postal charges have meant increased costs to 136 Beaconsfield Road, Enfield, EN3 6AY the Association. Can I please ask that any Members who have not yet signed up to receive the Newsletter, TREASURER AGM and other information by email to please do so. Tim Dadswell tel: 01483 283275 Please note that I am also happy to send the Handbook E-mail [email protected] by email. Rather than separate page updates, you would receive a complete new copy. All you would then COMMITTEE have to do is delete the old copy. Ralph Dadswell, Alan Davie, Jean Edrupt, Audrey The more Members that sign up to email, the less Hughes, Keith Robins, John Taylor, Bob Williams. chance of any increase in subs. OBITUARIES Rocco Richardson Rocco Richardson, Willesden CC, sadly passed away on 13th June 2012 after a long battle with illness. He was a life member of the Willesden CC. The funeral was at Ruislip Cremato- rium on 22nd June. (Willesden CC) Alec Owen Wingrave The funeral of Alec Owen Wingrave took place on July 24 th with the Chapel filled with family and many friends from the cycling world. The Submariners’ Association mounted a Guard of Honour and two of Alec’s great grandsons carried his Wartime Medals. Everyone present felt proud to have known “chef” – a great cycling character. Alec began cycling as a teenager in Hampshire, signing up for the Royal Navy at the outbreak of WW2 becoming a chef aboard submarines. He saw active service, the most perilous being supporting the Arctic Convoys where many lives were lost. The survivors were given the elite status of wearing the coveted “white beret” and Alec was proud to wear his on the many occa- sions he marched at the Cenotaph. He made light of his exploits, however, preferring to talk about his favourite class of submarine with a hatch large enough to take a 26” wheel so that he could dismantle his bike and stow it aboard. In 1942 Alec married Agnes, a young Scottish girl who was in the WRENs. After the war they made their home in Carshalton and celebrated their 70 th Wedding Anniversary this year with their son and daughter, six grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren. Alec kept fit by cycling to work at Odhams Press in London where he became a Union repre- sentative. However, his main interest was the Redmon Cycling Club where he held all posts up to President in his sixty years as a member. An active racing man, a time-keeper as well as serving on many local and national committees, he was also elected to the exclusive “Pedal Club”. He held all of the Club Vet’s records, two Southern R.R.A. records and the R.R.A. Brighton/London on a Tandem-trike , and also acted as Publicity Officer of the R.R.A. from 1976 to 1991. In addition he found time to become an accredited Football Association Junior Referee and also a Registered Toastmaster. Alec helped to bring the continental style Grand Prix des Gentlemen into the UK and the Red- mon C.C. continues to promote this as an annual event. In 2003 it was won by Sean Yates paced by a young Bradley Wiggins. Alec’s eventful life made him popular as an after-dinner speaker at Cycling Clubs and Naval Clubs. Even the Imperial War Museum recorded Alec’s war experiences for posterity. He was, indeed, a special character in the cycling world who will be sadly missed. (Eric Osborn Redmon CC) Ray Booty Ray Booty (Ericsson Wheelers) passed away in his sleep after a long battle with cancer. He broke the RTTC 100 mile record in the 1956 national championship with 4h 1m 52s. The next event was the Bath Road '100' on Bank Holiday Monday 6 August 1956. The course was west of Reading , through Theale , Pangbourne , Wallingford , Shillingford , Abingdon and back down the A4 to finish near where it started. Booty rode a Raleigh bicycle with an 84- inch fixed gear to 3h 58m 28s. Second was Stan Brittain, who would finish second in the fa- mous international stage race, the Peace Race in Eastern Europe the following year. Double Milk Race winner Bill Bradley was fifth fastest, while Alan Jackson, the Olympic bronze med- allist at Melbourne was sixth; with future Giro d'Italia stage winner Vin Denson fourteenth. Ray had ridden from Nottingham to the start the day before - 100 miles. For his race he was awarded a medal by Cycling and a certificate from the RTTC . He first broke the 100 miles record in 1955, lowering it to 4:04:30. He broke it three times. He twice broke the 12 hour record: 265.66 miles in 1956 and 266.00 miles the following year. And in 1958, he became Commonwealth Games road race champion at Cardiff. Ray Booty won the season-long British Best All-Rounder competition three times from 1955 to 1957. He was 100-mile champion from 1955 to 1959 and 12-hour champion from 1954 to 1958. In September 1956 he broke the RRA 100-mile record with 3h 28m 40s. The record stood for 34 years. He won the gold medal in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games road race in Cardiff . He won a bronze medal in the national championship road race in the same year. He also won the Manx International road race. He was awarded the F. T. Bidlake Memorial Prize in 1956. The citation read: Raymond Charles Booty For his superlative ride of 3 hrs. 58 mins. 28 secs. in the Bath Road Hundred of 1956, this being the first time one hundred miles had ever been ridden on a bicycle, out and home, inside four hours Ken Sheridan I am very sad to inform you that Ken Sheridan, Eileen's husband passed away on Tuesday 4th September.